Video - Part 2: SPECIAL REPORT | The Hindraf protest

Part 2: SPECIAL REPORT | The Hindraf protest

Hindraf emerges from the shadows THE ISSUE: The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was relatively unknown until it provided Indian Malaysians the opportunity to vent feelings pent up over 150 years. The grouping is led by lawyers and brothers P Uthayakumar and Waythamoorthy, who have taken up issues that have plagued the grassroots of a downtrodden community. From alleged police brutality and deaths in custody, they duo have zeroed in on marginalisation and discrimination of Indians. In defence of the right to religion, they have also been calling attention to the demolition of Hindu temples nationwide. The first sign of Hindrafs growing base of support was when it gathered some 2000 Indians at Putrajaya to hand over a memorandum detailing the communitys problems. It did not even get the courtesy of a response. Waythamoorthy then gave the campaign an instantly international image by suing the British government for RM14 trillion - on grounds that colonialists had brought Indians to Malaya as indentured labourers and later failed to factor in their interests when the Federal Constitution was being formulated. The brothers, along with other Indian lawyers, began a nationwide roadshow to explain the suit and publicise Hindrafs intention to petition the British Queen to support the suit by appointing a Queens Counsel to represent Indian Malaysians. On Oct 29, about a week before Deepavali, a century-old temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya in Padang Jawa, Selangor, was destroyed as ...